Croydon Encinerator broke the pollution 916 times in two years

Beddington Encinerator, which serves four South London tips, is facing the application by the Environment Agency after exceeding air pollution restrictions 916 times.

The crimes that occurred between 2022 and 2024 at the energy waste plant were discovered last week after the operator Viridor admitted that he had collected the pollution data incorrectly.

The Sutton Council, who sends waste to the site, wrote to the Environmental Secretary Steve Reed, urging him to take action and said that it was only said about the violations 16 months after they were discovered.

A spokesman for Viridor said he is seriously consumed by environmental responsibility and insufficient reporting is a “human mistake”.

The plant provides waste disposal services for 400,000 households in four tips – Croyden, Sutton, Merton and Kingston.

In order to work, it must record daily air pollution from the burning of the waste for key pollutants and to ensure that they remain at certain levels.

In March, Viridor learned that his monitoring software was incorrectly calibrated and that reassessment revealed that the nitrogen oxides were impaired daily between August 2022 and March 2024.

The Environment Agency (EA) was notified and subsequent investigation confirmed 16 violations of its license – one for each quarter in its two burns. The regulator told the BBC that he was considering more implementation.

This may include a fine and, as a last resort, criminal proceedings – although such actions are rarely taken.

A Viridor spokesman said: “The Environment Agency has acknowledged violations in Bedington as a result of a human mistake by a third -party contractor, confirming the investigation of an independent environmental consultant.”

He continued to say that a serious responsibility for the environment had arisen.

Sutton’s advice told the BBC that it had only been notified of the violations this month – about 16 months after Viridor first found the problem.

On Friday, council leader Barry Lewis wrote to the company and the secretary of the environment, which is a neighboring streatham and croydon North, raising concerns about the impact on health and repeating it on the proposed expansion of the site.

In his letter to G -N Reed G -N -Lewis said the news was “still deeply disturbing” to the residents.

“What is also concerned is the lack of appropriate EA monitoring and control. It is important that our residents have confidence in the ability of government regulators. This report only contributes to the erosion of this trust,” he writes.

The government has not yet answered.

Nitrogen dioxide is associated With adverse health effects, including increased respiratory symptoms.

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency has evaluated local monitors after disclosure and confirmed that daily air quality restrictions have not been violated and “emissions are unlikely to cause harm to human health or the environment.”

But it is also said that “the exposed population is likely to be subject to potential harm to every level.”